Vicki felt very peculiar when she woke up the next morning. She had never taken a dreamless sleeping potion before and therefore she was quite confused upon her awakening. All she could remember was drinking the potion in bed, and then waking up some time later. The only thing that had ever felt similar was one time the previous summer where she and her muggle friend Sarah had drank far too much alcohol and Vicki had gotten blackout drunk.

But this wasn't a happy and carefree muggle party. Her best friend had passed away the previous night, and she would never see him again.

She opened the curtains on her four poster bed and noticed that not one of her dormmates was in the dormitory. This gave Vicki the peace to get dressed into her robes, comb her hair and apply minimal make-up. As a seventeen year old girl she normally wore quite a lot of make-up, but today she didn't feel like dolling herself up.

It was made apparent to her that most people had gone to breakfast early as the Ravenclaw common room was completely empty when she emerged from her dorm. Even on her stroll down to the Great Hall for breakfast she didn't pass anybody on their travels.

Once she walked into the Great Hall she made a beeline to the Ravenclaw table, not even bothering to look at the other tables to see the reactions of the other students after the previous night. But she wasn't able to escape the reactions when she sat down.

Cho was still crying, and looked like she had been for a while as her face was blotchy with puffy eyes. Quite a few of the other girls were huddled around Cho, trying to give her reassurance and patting her back soothingly.

Vicki's normal friendship circle were seated at the far end of the table with no spare seats next to them. Stephanie appeared to be staring off into the distance as she hadn't touched her plate of food. Roger was looking down at his own plate and moving his eggs around without taking a bite. And this was perhaps the only time Vicki had ever seen Phillip not running his mouth down the table. He was too far away to hear, but she could see he was completely silent.

A few of the Ravenclaw students sent her a few sympathetic looks but nobody said anything to Vicki. This made her stomach twinge a little bit. She already felt incredibly guilty at her lack of being able to shed tears, and she felt self conscious. Maybe, just maybe, the rest of her house was judging her for not being able to cry like Cho.

Vicki felt someone sit next to her, but she didn't bother to look up to see who it was as she assumed it was another Ravenclaw student who had nowhere else to sit.

"Hey."

She turned around to see her boyfriend seated next to her.

"Hey. You're at the Ravenclaw table," Vicki observed before she frowned "You could get in trouble for that."

"Yeah, too bad I don't care about that. I only care about you." Fred said with a small smile as he reached out to give her arm a squeeze.

An inappropriate joke was forming in Vicki's head. She knew it was ridiculous to say the second the words formed upon her lips but she couldn't help it. It was too late as her sentence fell out of her mouth.

"Losing the Head Girl position to Mildred Tate was depressing, but I don't need this level of support. You didn't have to come over just to console me over not being Head Girl next year."

She held back a wince as she finished her sentence. Fred was looking at her intensely in order to read what she meant by her words. He thought that perhaps she was in a state of denial and her sentence was real, as if she was denying Cedric's death. But then he saw she gave him a weak smile to which he returned.

"Vicki, I-" Fred began to speak up, but he fell silent when he saw Dumbledore stand up at the teacher's table.

In Fred's entire six years at Hogwarts, Dumbledore had never made an announcement at breakfast. Announcements were always made in the evening. Fred wanted to speak to Vicki to voice his support and do everything in his power to try and take some of her hurt away. But clearly what Dumbledore was about to say would be important.

"May I please request just a few moments of your time for a few announcements this morning?" Dumbledore spoke up, the normal jovial hint in his voice clearly missing today.

All of the murmurs of the Great Hall quietened down immediately. This was one of the rare times Dumbledore had every student's undivided attention.

"A great tragedy occurred last night during the third task of the Triwizard Tournament. I take no pleasure in sharing the unfortunate news that Cedric Diggory passed away whilst competing for Hogwarts' honour." Dumbledore soberly stated.

A few gasps rang around the hall - these students were either unaware that Cedric had died, or didn't believe the news until it had come from Dumbledore's mouth. Dumbledore's words had once again made Cho cry, as silent tears were streaming down her face.

But not Vicki. Vicki was still silent as she gave Dumbledore her full attention. Fred couldn't see her face as he was facing his back. But if he could see her, he'd see she hadn't shed a single tear. Not now, and not the night before either. She was completely numb.

"As you can all imagine, the situation is very much still raw. As we are trying to piece together all of the information we are unable to share any formal revelations just yet." Dumbledore stated.

A few murmurs began to ring out across the hall, but they silenced once Dumbledore began to speak again.

"However I do have a few humble requests for you all, and I really must urge that they are followed by all."

Both Vicki and Fred stiffened in their seats and sat up upon hearing this. Vicki even turned around to give Fred a look before she turned back to watch Dumbledore.

"Firstly and most importantly, Harry Potter has been through a great ordeal. I firmly request that absolutely no student present whatsoever is to approach him for information on what happened in the maze last night. Not a single peep or question," Dumbledore stated quite seriously as Vicki saw his eyes flash onto Ron and Hermoine, indicating that this request even extended to them, before scanning the room again "He has been through a great ordeal. Anybody caught disobeying this request will be severely punished."

"Ha, look at the Slytherins." Fred piped up. He meant to say it under his breath but Vicki heard him and she quickly snapped her head to look at the Slytherin table.

Fred was right. The Slytherins were all looking angry and were mouthing silently at Dumbledore with their faces scrunched up.

Vicki turned to Fred to give him a weak smile. It wasn't one of her normal warm smiles, but the corners of her mouth twitched upwards for the first time since the night before.

"I have no doubt that many present, if not all, are incredibly sad to hear about this tragedy. But I would like to extend my sincere condolences to those Cedric was the closest to." Dumbledore began to explain.

Not only did Dumbledore cast his eyes towards the Ravenclaw table, Vicki noticed the rest of the school look over as well, some having to strain their necks. At first she thought everybody was trying to show sympathy for Cho (After all, Cedric was in Hufflepuff and had many friends, you'd expect attention to be on the Hufflepuff table) but she noticed a few students sending her sympathetic smiles when her eyes landed on them.

"I would like to remind everybody present that people grieve in different ways. I would also like to request that both students and staff respect this grieving process, not only for the remainder of this school year but in the future as well. As well intentioned as your plans may be, please do not put pressure on students to discuss their feelings openly. Those who are grieving will talk when they are ready to." Dumbledore kindly explained.

The rest of the students remained silent as they expected Dumbledore to reveal more information. But instead Dumbledore abruptly sat down and continued to tuck into his breakfast. The students all watched for a little longer before they began to break out into conversation again.

Vicki then swung herself around so she was facing the table again, but was leaning into the table on her left side so she could face Fred on her right.

"So er...that was interesting." Fred admitted, in an attempt to bring up conversation.

Vicki weakly smiled once more. For the first time in his life, it seemed Fred Weasley was speechless. And it was all out of concern for her. She knew he was reluctant to speak as he didn't want to say anything that could anger or upset her. Vicki thought it was a small gesture, but it was sweet.

"I'm ready to talk. But only to you. And not here. Dumbledore wants to see me after breakfast but after then, can we go somewhere and just...talk?" Vicki asked Fred hopefully.

He grabbed her hand under the table to give it a quick squeeze before letting it go.

"Sure. I'll hang out in the Clocktower Courtyard after breakfast and wait for you." Fred proposed.

"Really? You're happy to wait in the courtyard for an arbitrary amount of time until I'm done with Dumbledore?" Vicki asked in surprise. Fred was her boyfriend and he was good to her. But he was still Fred Weasley, and she was sure Fred Weasley wouldn't hang around for just anyone.

Fred hadn't been entirely sure how to converse with Vicki this morning. He knew being his normal joke-filled self wasn't appropriate. All he knew is that he had to be there for her. That's what he was going to do.

"Yes. But don't tell anyone I've gone soft." Fred said with a sly smile and a wink.

The rest of breakfast was fairly uneventful. Vicki and Fred were mostly silent as they ate their toast, only speaking in sentences here and there. Nobody at the Ravenclaw table seemed to mind a Gryffindor sitting with them, and no one from the teaching staff dared to separate Vicki from her boyfriend.

Vicki waited ten minutes until Dumbledore had left the table before she got up and left Fred, giving him a quick hug and promising to meet him in the Clocktower Courtyard once she was done.

But now she was standing in front of Dumbledore in his office. It was the first time she had been in there without any other students present and she never noticed before he didn't have any seats for visitors to sit in. She was feeling awkward standing before him - like a naughty child being sent for punishment.

"Thank you for meeting with me Victoria. We can keep this visit brief as I am sure you wish to return to Mr Weasley." Dumbledore explained to her.

Vicki only sent a brief nod Dumbledore's way. She didn't mean to be rude or cold, but she felt the uncomfortable numb feeling she had felt all night return. She was still trying to come to terms that Cedric was truly gone, but she still felt she couldn't cry.

"Sure. What's up?" Vicki asked Dumbledore, the only words she could bring herself to speak.

"The first thing I was going to talk about was the importance of loved ones in a time like this. But I can see that Mr Weasley has already reached out to you this morning." Dumbledore began to explain.

"He did. I'm lucky to have him." Vicki responded.

"I'd say you're lucky to have each other, Miss Hartwell." Dumbledore stated with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face. It was enough to almost bring a smile to hers too. Almost.

"Miss Hartwell, I wanted to know if there was anything you wished to talk about? There's not much else I can tell you about what happened last night. As stated at breakfast there's still a lot to unravel and I would hate to misinform you," Dumbledore said but added on "But I can answer what I can."

"No, you know what, I don't want to know what happened to Cedric. Not yet. I'm not mentally prepared yet," Vicki confessed to Dumbledore, before finding herself opening up more by accident "I-is that bad? As a Ravenclaw I pride knowledge and information being spread. But right now, I don't wanna know."

"As I said earlier at breakfast, people grieve in many different ways. There is no right or wrong way." Dumbledore reassured Vicki.

The two were silent for a few moments as Vicki didn't know what to say. She didn't really see any value in being present in Dumbledore's office. There was nothing Dumbledore could say that would make her feel better, and he was keeping her from the only person who could possibly cheer her up. But she couldn't be rude, so she stayed put.

But then a genuine question entered her head.

"Has a student ever well...er...died whilst you've been at Hogwarts?" Vicki asked curiously.

"Unfortunately, the answer is yes. As deputy headmaster I had two students pass away. The first one was Myrtle Warren, a girl who I believe still occupies the girl's second floor bathroom." Dumbledore responded.

Vicki just nodded. Moaning Myrtle, of course. The Chamber of Secrets was reopened in Vicki's fourth year and whilst students were never told the full extent of what happened, over the years information had passed through the students. One bit of information was that Moaning Myrtle died in the forties by the beast that was within.

"The second one was a little more personal as far as you're concerned. A few years after Miss Warren, there was another bright young Ravenclaw who met with an unfortunate end. Whilst her body was never recovered, it's presumed she perished. Do you know who I'm talking about?" Dumbledore asked her.

Vicki thought long and hard but then the answer hit her. Dumbledore was right, that case was a lot more personal to her. She had been told in the past that before her paternal grandmother and grandfather got together, her grandfather had a girlfriend who went missing during the Christmas holidays of his final year at Hogwarts.

"Mary Figglestill, right? That was her name?" Vicki guessed.

"Correct." Dumbledore sadly smiled.

"If Figglestill didn't go missing, I probably wouldn't be here right now. It really makes ya think, huh? Whether one human life is worth more than another. Figglestill could have gone on to achieve much more than I ever will. Yet I'm the one who gets to live." Vicki mused.

"Honestly Miss Hartwell, you raise some very good points. But now is not an appropriate time for a deep, philosophical debate." Dumbledore humbly stated, and Vicki knew he was trying to lead her mind away from the dark place it wanted to go.

But instead her thoughts were still racing.

"The future has changed after what happened in the maze last night. I'm not talking about whatever the hell has happened with Harry. Cedric's death has changed the future." Vicki thought out loud.

"Yes, it has. Cedric was a fine young man and the world is worse off without him." Dumbledore agreed.

"You're not wrong, but that's not what I meant. Cedric would have gone on to have lovely children with someone, and those kids then go on and have more kids, yadda yadda yadda. But now those kids won't exist. Cedric's partner, whether that have been Cho or another nice lady down the line, will go and have kids with someone else. Therefore, the future has changed." Vicki blabbed on.

"It is a shame, indeed." Dumbledore responded, keeping his words short in order for Vicki to continue talking. But her mind settled as sadness washed over her.

It was different to the numb feeling she had felt the previous night. It was finally a real emotion, and she felt as though she was finally accepting that Cedric was really gone. But she still had no desire to cry.

"Anyway, you're right. Not the place nor time for a deep and meaningful conversation. Was there anything else before I go, professor?" Vicki asked as she started to take a few steps towards the door.

"Just one more thing, Miss Hartwell." Dumbledore stated, making Vicki stop in her tracks in order to hear what Professor Dumbledore had to tell her.

"I believe the school governors made a premature announcement yesterday about their pick for Head Boy and Head Girl next year. I just wanted to inform you that school governors being involved in deciding Head Boy and Head Girl has always only been a formality. The decision has, and always will, ultimately lie with the Headmaster." Dumbledore explained.

"Oh? What does that mean?" Vicki asked as she raised an eyebrow.

She had completely forgotten about what had happened the night before - where the school governors had announced they had picked Mildred Tate as well as Cedric to be Head Girl and Head Boy the next year. It had absolutely shattered Vicki at the time.

Now she felt it was very silly. Less than twenty four hours ago she was upset that she wasn't going to be Head Girl. She now felt her previous problem was meager and bratty in comparison. Therefore Dumbledore's revelation didn't bring the same comfort to her it would have the night before.

"It means you're very much still in the running to become Hogwarts' Head Girl next year." Dumbledore revealed.

Vicki went to speak up to mention that previously Dumbledore had informed her that she would be his pick. But she decided not to. She wanted to get out of that office as quickly as possible so she could be with Fred.

"Thank you, professor. If that's all, I'll be off."

Vicki sat by the fountain with her eyes closed tightly. She felt stray droplets hit her here and there, and the spray felt nice due to the warm early-summer weather. She thought that perhaps for just a brief moment if she closed her eyes and ignored all of her surroundings except for the fountain, she could escape her numb-filled reality.

But she couldn't, not even for a second.

After she finished with Dumbledore she briskly walked down to the Clocktower Courtyard to meet Fred. He was initially sitting with George and Lee, who quickly scampered away upon seeing Vicki enter the courtyard.

The two had been sitting in silence for a few minutes whilst Vicki enjoyed the cool spray of the fountain.

Initially Vicki was going to ask Fred if they could go somewhere a little more secluded. But then she realised she wanted to be around other students. The only secluded spots she could think of this time of day outside would be near the Quidditch pitch (which was currently transformed into the maze where Cedric died), or near the lake (where she was held hostage for the second task where Cedric had rescued her). She couldn't bear to be in any of those spots right now.

"Dumbledore didn't tell me anything, by the way. I don't know what happened in the maze." Vicki eventually spoke up.

"That's okay." Fred shrugged, not knowing how to respond to Vicki's statement.

"We didn't really talk about much. He asked me if there was anything I wanted to ask him. So I asked about other students that had carked it under his watch." Vicki explained, not making eye contact with Fred as she kept watching ahead.

However Vicki's words caused Fred's eyes to widen in shock. Death wasn't a topic that he had ever heard Vicki bring up. Like Fred, Vicki was a pretty happy go-lucky person. This was completely out of character for her and Fred wanted to make sure he could support her through this difficult time.

He grabbed her hand like he did at the breakfast table, but this time he didn't let go.

"We spoke about survivor's guilt too. Well, I did. I didn't call it survivor's guilt, but that's basically what I meant." Vicki mentioned.

"Are you feeling survivor's guilt?" Fred quickly asked Vicki.

"No. But er, a small thing has been nagging me a little since the second I saw Cedric's lifeless form hit the ground last night." Vicki began to confess.

Fred was quiet, but he watched Vicki closely. She sharply inhaled as she began playing the hem of her school skirt nervously.

Vicki felt horrible as she let the guilt consume her body. She was about to tell Fred some horrible thoughts she had been attempting to push to the back of her mind since the previous night. But after the talk with Dumbledore and touching upon the subject of valuing one human's life over another, she was ready to address these thoughts. They may even cause the horrible numb feeling to go away so she could feel some sort of formal emotion.

"I didn't know Cedric was dead at first. But the second I saw something had happened to him, all I could think was 'thank god that's not Fred'. Then when Professor Sprout broke the news to me that he was dead, once again all I could think about was how grateful I was that at least it was him and not you. And even speaking about these awful, awful thoughts with you right now, I'm thankful it's you I'm sitting in front of voicing my guilt about Cedric's death, and not the other way around." Vicki disclosed, her voice wavering by the end.